Tag Archives: Steelheart

I am a child of the 80’s. As a Gen Xer, I grew up listening to the hard rock, hair bands, and metal of the mid-eighties through early 90’s. I debate these groups on a somewhat regular basis over beers and wings with some of my musician friends. The argument on best lead vocals usually ends in a stalemate, but we all agree that very few singers in music today do it like these guys.

Here are my picks for the 5 best 80’s (early 90’s) rock “screamers.” By “screamer,” I mean dudes who could wail like a banshee, hit notes like a chick, and still make it sound badass. These choices are based only on vocal talent, uniqueness of sound, and to some degree their ability to hold notes for a long period of time. This is not a popularity contest, a debate on what band was cooler, or who had more hit singles.